在佛陀在世時，若有比丘違犯戒法，或向同參發露懺悔，或向佛前懺悔，重在至心發露，不覆藏已過，罪得消滅；如今佛已入滅，因此凡夫若欲懺悔者，須迎請諸佛，在請佛之前為了懺悔的至心鄭重，於是有嚴淨的儀軌，除了嚴淨道場之外，更須於己身齋戒沐浴。這不僅是佛教，在國家遭逢災禍時，天子或元首或地方之長，也須帶領政府官員齋戒祈福，這都是滅罪祈福的基本禮儀。事懺的禮敬、稱讚、供養（香、花）、懺悔、勸請、隨喜、迴向、發願等內容，在佛入滅後，形成一定的軌則，修懺法者依序入觀，一為己；二為眾生；三為法而懺，已作之罪願得除滅，未來之惡不敢復作，務使己身除罪。
「華嚴懺」雖不同「法華三昧懺」，在修懺時排有禪觀的理懺部份（註二），誦經一小時半，禮懺一小時，坐禪一小時這樣實修的時間行程，但它依普賢行願而作，行懺者一心禮敬的是華藏世界諸佛、菩薩、七處九會主菩薩、五十位階菩薩。
懺悔時作觀順生死心十種：
1．自從無始起無明
2．惡友增我情
3．無隨喜心善永滅
4．縱身語意惡漸生
5．心心遍布處處染
6．念念相續日夜營
7．不欲人知藏過失
8．不畏惡道任縱橫
9．無慚無愧魔羅網
10．撥無因果闡提坑
逆生死心十種：
1．正信因果破闡提
2．慚愧人天破無恥
3．恐怖惡道破不畏
4. 發露罪業破覆庇
5．斷相續心破常念
6．發菩提心破遍起
7．修功補過破縱恣
8．守護正法破無喜
9．念十方佛破惡友
10．觀罪性空破結使
若依清涼國師所作《華嚴疏鈔•如來隨好光明功德品》所述十種順生死心：
1．妄計人我起於身見。
2．內具煩惱，外遇惡緣，我心隆盛
3．內外既具滅善心事，不喜他善
4．縱恣三業，無惡不為
5．事雖不廣惡心遍布
6．惡心相續，晝夜不斷
7．覆諱過失，不欲人知
8．虜扈抵突，不畏惡道
9．無慚無愧，不懼凡聖
10．撥無因果，作一闡提
待續
註二：同前，P146《修習法華三昧時間安排參考》
上人語錄
※人不成佛，就是因為盡在口頭禪上用功夫。
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When the Buddha was in the world, any Bhikshu who had violated a major precept and who sincerely and openly repented to a peer or to the Buddhas would have his offense eliminated. Now that the Buddha has entered stillness, an average person who wishes to repent must invite and welcome all Buddhas. Before inviting the Buddhas for the reason of repentance, one should be sincere and serious. Therefore besides an adorned temple and pure ceremonial rites, one should further eat vegetarian food and cleanse oneself. This applies not just to Buddhism. Whenever a nation suffers disasters, the Emperor, President, or local official must lead the government officials in following a vegetarian diet and praying for blessings. These are the basic ceremonial rites for extinguishing offenses and praying for blessings. Bowing, singing praises, offerings (of incense, flowers), repentance, beseechment, rejoicing, transference, and making vows became standard activities in repentance ceremonies after the Buddha entered stillness. The penitent contemplates in sequence: (1) him or herself, (2) all beings, (3) the Dharma, hoping that all offenses will be eliminated and that no evil will occur again in the future. One can definitely eradicate one's offenses in this way.
Although the Avatamsaka Repentance is different from the Dharma Flower Samadhi Repentance, the repentance nonetheless includes a section on dhyana contemplation2 that's a part of the repentance based on noumenon. There's an hour and a half of Sutra recitation, an hour of bowing in repentance, and an hour of sitting in meditation. These are the periods allotted in the schedule to allow for honest cultivation. However, the Avatamsaka Repentance is arranged according to Universal Worthy's vows of conduct. What the penitent is single-mindedly bowing to are all the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas throughout the worlds of the Flower Treasury, the Bodhisattvas who are the hosts of the seventh and ninth Avatamsaka assemblies, and the Bodhisattvas of the fifty stages.
One ought to contemplate the following ten types of birth and death during repentance:
1. I have been ignorant since beginningless time;
2. Evil friends have increased my emotions;
3. I have not gone along joyously, but have been forever reducing my goodness;
4. I have been indulgent with my body, speech, and mind so that evil gradually grew;
5. My every thought is tainted;
6. I continue to err in thought after thought;
7. I conceal my mistakes in the hopes that no one will find out;
8. I recklessly go forth without any fear of the evil paths;
9. Shameless and unremorseful, I am trapped in the demon's net;
10. I deny cause and effect, sitting in the pit of an icchantika
The ten ways to defy birth and death:
1. To shatter the icchantika, one's faith in cause and effect is proper;
2. To shatter shamelessness, one is remorsefully repents before humans and gods;
3. To shatter the absence of fear, one is horrified by the evil destinies;
4. To shatter pretense, one reveals one's karmic offenses;
5. To shatter the thought of permanence, one ends the idea of continuity;
6. To shatter pervasive arising, one makes the resolve for Bodhi;
7. To shatter indulgence, one cultivates merit and amends misdeeds;
8. To shatter unhappiness, one guards and protects the proper Dharma;
9. To shatter evil friendships, one is mindful of the Buddhas throughout the ten directions;
10. To shatter the slaves that bind, one contemplates the nature of offenses as empty.
National Master Qingliang's commentary in the Avatamsaka Prologue on the Chapter on the Meritorious Virtues of the Light of the Thus Come One's Subsidiary Characteristics describes ten frames of mind that adhere to birth and death:
1. False ideas about self and others give rise to the view of a body;
2. Having internal afflictions and encountering evil situations, one's ego thrives;
3. One ceases any good thought or deed, inside and out, and does not rejoice in others' goodness;
4. One indulges the three karmas and does every evil;
5. Though the acts may not be large, one's evil thoughts are pervasive;
6. One's evil thoughts continue day and night;
7. One covers up and denies mistakes, wishing that no one will learn of them;
8. One harasses and attacks others, unafraid of the evil paths;
9. One is shameless and unremorseful, unafraid before ordinary people and sages;
10. One denies cause and effect, becoming an icchantika.
To be continued
Notes:
2. Ibid, p. 146, Sample Schedules for Cultivating the Dharma Flower Samadhi.
Venerable Master's Dharma Words
♦The reason people have not become Buddhas is that they only pay lip service to cultivation. |
